GDHQNHL15_2pg-Toronto Maple Leafs 2

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+3 plus/minus, he was -12 in those
final 14 games. He’s been one of
the best defensemen in the league
over his nine-year career, and
Toronto will be counting on him
to bounce back.
After a solid rookie campaign,
Jake Gardiner spent most of the
lockout season in the AHL despite
the pleas of angry Maple Leafs
fans. When he was called back
up to the NHL, he made sure to
play well enough to earn his spot
on the ice. He averaged over 21 minutes per game and contributed
10 goals as well.
The Leafs brought in veteran defenseman Roman Polak, who is still
recovering from breaking his right leg in two separate incidents. At 37
years of age, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly he comes back and
can make a positive contribution to the team.
Another veteran defenseman, Roman Polak, was traded for in the
offseason in exchange for Carl Gunnarsson. Although Gunnarsson
did not play poorly last season, it appears that the new administration
was set on going in a different direction. Polak will add a more physical
element to the defense that Gunnarsson didn’t provide.
Goaltending
Jonathan Bernier was solid in net for most of the season, but he
was injured down the stretch during the team’s most important games.
Although his .922 save percentage and 2.70GAA were not spectacular,
he did play behind a porous defense that repeatedly failed to clear
pucks out of the zone and allowed the most shots per game of any team
in the league.
Bernier was acquired before last season in a trade with the Los
Angeles Kings, and with an increased physical presence in front of him, a
healthy Bernier is ready to make his mark in Toronto.
Backup goalie James Reimer was stellar in 2012-13 but he was
relegated to the backup role when Bernier was brought in. With the late
season injuries to Bernier, Reimer was forced into important situations,
but he wasn’t quite up to the challenge.
Power Play
One of the major bright spots for the Maple Leafs was their power
play and they’ll return their top four goal scorers from last year’s unit.
They finished the season converting on 19.8 percent of their penalties,
which ranked fifth in the NHL.
Kessel was the team’s most dangerous weapon on the power play
with 20 points, and is the unit’s undisputed leader. But even eight
goals was a down year for Kessel who has scored as many as twelve
goals in a season.
He’ll have plenty of help from van Riemsdyk and Kadri. The two
young forwards combined for 16 power-play goals and 17 assists. Even if
van Riemsdyk is separated from Kessel on even strength series, it’s likely
that opponents will see plenty of the combo on the power-play.
From the blue line, Phaneuf will see time on the power play along
with Gardiner, Cody Franson and Morgan Rielly.
Penalty Kill
While the power play was a bright spot for the Maple Leafs, the
penalty kill was a black mark for the team. They prevented just 78.3
percent of their shorthanded opportunities and allowed 58 power-play
goals. Both of those
were ranked 28th out
of the 30 NHL teams.
Although David
Clarkson struggled in
his first season with
the Maple Leafs, the
veteran could go a
long way in repairing
his status among the
fans by bringing his
skills to the penalty
kill. His offensive
numbers were down,
but he did show his
willingness to sacrifice
for the team by
blocking 35 shots.
The team will also
play Dan Winnik,
who came over from
Dion Phaneuf
Anaheim, and Leo
Jared Silber/NHL/Getty Images
Komarov, who saw his
first NHL action last season. Both Phaneuf and Lupul will continue their
roles on the unit, but the team hopes that others on the team will step up
and take some of that time off their hands.‑
Prediction
The Toronto Maple Leafs appeared to be a lock for the playoffs late
last season, but a disastrous finish to the season derailed that. Now
they have to rebuild the mental pieces and welcome the clean slate
of a new season. They have the offensive talent but this team will
only go as far as their defense takes them. Because of that, they’ll
struggle to reach the postseason.
Scoreboard
2013-14 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10
PLAYOFF FINISH DNQ Conf QF DNQ DNQ DNQ
REGULAR SEASON 38-36-8 26-17-5 35-37-10 37-34-11 30-38-14
POINT TOTAL 84 57 80 85 74
SHOOTOUT RECORD 9-4 0-5 4-5 5-6 4-4
GOALS SCORED 231 145 231 218 214
GOALS ALLOWED 256 133 264 251 267
POWER-PLAY % 19.8 18.7 18.4 16.0 14.0
PENALTY KILL % 78.3 87.9 77.3 77.5 74.7